


A Wild Rufflet Appeared

by QueenBoudicatheGreat



Series: A Pokemon Master and a Pokemon Professor Walk Into a Bar [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Ash is a Pokemon Master, Gary just swears a lot, Gen, Swearing, good for him, he's a mess, he's also a feral little man who never leaves his lab, he's also the Gary Wrangler, i wrote this as platonic but go wild if you want, rivals to friends to babysitter, so now Ash is the mildly responsible one, tragically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-16 05:23:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21502570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenBoudicatheGreat/pseuds/QueenBoudicatheGreat
Summary: Being a Pokemon Master in a small town is fun. Ash likes the way the kids all look up to him and watch his battles. But it does mean that he's the first grown up they come to when something Pokemon-related goes wrong, especially regarding Professor Oak. Fortunately, Ash has plenty of experience.
Relationships: Ookido Shigeru | Gary Oak & Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Series: A Pokemon Master and a Pokemon Professor Walk Into a Bar [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1555381
Comments: 17
Kudos: 149





	A Wild Rufflet Appeared

**Author's Note:**

> Listen. This was written on my phone over the course of maybe an hour when I was getting ready this morning. It's not good, but I had fun writing it. Mostly I just wrote it because I'm desperate for a Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes-style feral professor, and my options were make an entirely new OC, or shove Gary, who I've always been oddly fond of, into the role and you know what I decided. Anyway, like I said, this was written at like a level 4 out of ten effort on my phone, so theres gonna be typos. You can point them out, but I'm never gonna fix them.

Ash wasn't a stranger to people watching him battle. He'd gone through many different leagues, all with varying amounts of spectators. And more recently since becoming Champion several times, he'd taken part in many exhibition matches. Even his training often had spectators in the form of all the kids in Pallet Town watching from a distance and cheering their favorites on. So, no, he was plenty used to being observed. This, however, was different. 

This time, instead of there being a flock of younger kids, there were three, all who looked a bit older than the others. In fact, once he took a closer look at them, Ash realized that they looked older because they were. These were the three kids who were meant to be starting their Pokemon journey this morning, which was odd because it was now late afternoon. They didn't say anything though, just shifting back and forth and whispering to one another, obviously anxious about something.

"Hey, kids, what's up?" Ash asked, deciding to put an end to this little stalemate. "Aren't you guys supposed to be off with your Pokemon?"

The three of them shuffled towards him, and after a quick whispered argument, a girl was shoved out of the circle to stumble towards Ash. She quickly righted herself and stood up straight, her jaw set in a determined line. If Ash remembered correctly, her name was Dara. "We were supposed to go this morning, Mr. Ash," she confirmed. And then she hesitated. "But, uh, something happened."

Worry pinched Ash's eyebrows together. "What happened."

"Professor Oak wasn't at the lab."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, we got there this morning, but nobody answered the door. We tried waiting!" she added emphatically. "We waited for like two whole hours. So we were wondering if maybe you could give us our Pokemon."

Ash shook his head. "I'm really sorry, but I can't. There's rules against it. It's gotta be Professor Oak." Dara deflated and she looked back at her friends, all wearing identical heartbroken faces. And that just wouldn't do, so Ash put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a blinding grin. "But don't you worry. I'll get you your Pokemon." He turned his head to the side where his Pokemon were waiting and gave them a nod. "Come on guys. We're going to the lab!"

A set of cheers, children and Pokemon alike met his declaration, and he led the charge down the street. Behind him, the kids were buzzing with excitement (as all kids _should_ be on the day they set out) as they bounced around Ash's Pokemon, playing with them and chattering nonstop about their upcoming decision. Ash was oddly pleased to learn that they had all picked their starters together so that they could all be rivals. 

When they made it to the lab, their excitement petered out and they all paused at the gate, but Ash kept going, his strides long and confident. When he got to the door, he took a deep breath. "OAK, OPEN THIS DOOR!" he shouted, banging on it as loud as he could. 

Silence rang out, and Dara stomped her foot. "See? He's not there! Now what do we do?" 

Ash pursed his lips. "You guys, wait here. Pikachu, come with me." 

"Pikapi!"

Ash left the kids huddled in the front step, as he walked around the corner of the building, Pikachu bounding along beside him. "What's the probability that he actually fixed that window I told him about last month?"

Pikachu's ears twitched and he sounded exasperated when he replied. "Pika…"

Ash laughed. "That's what I figured, too."

Sure enough, the window in question was still broken and Ash had no problem forcing it open just enough for Pikachu to squeeze through. "All right, buddy, you know what to do."

"Pi!"

With Pikachu now inside, Ash only had to wait a few seconds for the back door a few feet away to swing open, Pikachu hanging from the door knob. "Nice one!" 

Ash knew the lab inside and out. He'd spent plenty of time there as a child, and now that he had moved back home for good, he spent even more time there. Likewise, he knew his target inside and out, much for the same reason. Sure enough, there he was, hunched over his desk, scribbling madly, hair a mess and muttering under his breath. "Hit him," Ash told Pikachu calmly. 

"Pi- _ka!"_

The room lit up with Pikachu's thunderbolt, causing his target to flail around wildly for a moment. "Ash, what the fuck?" Gary spat as soon as he was done twitching.

"I could ask you the same thing!" Ash countered hotly. "Do you know what day it is?"

Gary glanced at his callender, proving that he had no idea. "April first?"

"Yup. And what happens on April first?" Gary just looked at him blankly, and Ash had to grit his teeth to refrain from ordering an Iron Tail across his thick skull. "The kids! They're supposed to get their starters today!"

Gary's eyes widened and his face paled. "Shit, I forgot!" he exclaimed as he started furiously shuffling through the papers on his desk. "Shit shit shit shit shit."

"Do you at least have the Pokemon ready?"

"Yeah," Gary said absently. "Thr Bulbasaur is actually from your Bulbasaur's egg. Fuck I cant believe forgot. Damn it, where's that form?"

Ash beamed with pride, but it quickly dissipated when Gary tried to leave the room. "You can't go out there looking like that. You'll terrify them," he said, grabbing Gary by the wrist. "One of them is gonna try to catch you, thinking you're a Rufflet or something."

"Rufflet aren't native to Kanto, so they probably don't know what one looks like," Gary argued, shifting his weight from side to side, but not fighting as Ash straightened him up. A little bit. He was still a mess, but at least now he didn't look like a wild Pokemon. Ash almost wanted to laugh comparing this Gary to the one who had been so fastidious and almost fussy about his appearance as a child.

"All right, you're mostly presentable," Ash declared taking a step back. "Now, go give those kids their Pokemon. Remember to be friendly and at least mildly charming so they won't be scared of you like last year's group."

"Yeah, yeah. And I'm always charming."

Ashe raised an eyebrow. "That's debatable."

"Whatever," Gary said, rolling his eyes. He paused in front of a mirror just long enough to tug firmly on the lapels of his lab coat before power walking down the hall to the entrance area. Ash's job was done. 


End file.
